


Girl Talk

by allyndra



Category: High School Musical
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-13
Updated: 2009-12-13
Packaged: 2017-10-04 10:04:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allyndra/pseuds/allyndra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryan and Sharpay talk about tehir boyfriends. (prompted by lil_1337)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Girl Talk

"So," Sharpay said casually, examining the color she was applying to her nails. "What's the most annoying thing that Chad does?"

Ryan was startled into a laugh. "What?" He should have known she had something in mind when she suggested they give themselves manicures. He dropped his orange stick onto the table and raised an eyebrow at her. "Why?"

Sharpay pursed her mouth, like Ryan was a great disappointment. "Come on, Ry," she wheedled. "It's the first time we've both had boyfriends at the same time. Gossip with me."

Ryan looked at her. Her hair was twisted up crazily on her head because no 'real people' were going to see her today, and she was wearing the exact same expression she used to use when Ryan wouldn't share the microphone on their My First Radio. "Fine," he said with a sigh. "But you go first."

Sharpay gave him a triumphant smirk and leaned forward across the table. "Okay, so you know that Zeke adores me. I mean, _everyone_ knows that Zeke adores me."

"And that's annoying?" Ryan asked skeptically. Because he'd seen Sharpay when she was being adored by Zeke, and she ate it up.

"No." She rolled her eyes scornfully. "But part of the adoring is always letting me have my way. And you know, usually I like that, but sometimes …" she looked down at her nails. "Sometimes I don't think I know him very well, because he never lets me know what he likes. I mean, aside from basketball, baking and me, what does Zeke like?"

Ryan shook his head. "Exactly!" she exclaimed, pointing one Sunset Coral fingernail at him. "It's not so bad that you don't know, since you're not the one dating him." She shook her head. "Sometimes I just want to shake him when he says, 'Whatever you want.'"

Ryan looked down at the table. "Have you maybe tried to tell him that?" He shrugged and said, "He knows you like having your own way. It could be that he has no idea you even care what he wants."

Sharpay didn't say anything, and when Ryan glanced up, she looked stricken. "How could he not know that I care?" she asked in a small voice.

Ryan reached across the table and lay his hand on her wrist, carefully, so that there was no chance of brushing against her fingernails. "I'm sure he knows you care. Just, maybe. Tell him more."

She nodded firmly. "I can do that," she said. She pasted on a bright smile. "Your turn."

Ryan bit his lip. He picked up the orange stick and twirled it between his fingers. "I guess … It's good that he has friends. I wouldn't want to be controlling and stop him from hanging out, or anything. But I guess, I wish I wasn't always separate from that hanging out." He wrinkled his nose. "I'm not saying this very well."

"Awww, Ryan. You just want to be one of the boys?" Sharpay asked in baby voice. Ryan picked up a cotton ball and threw it at her. Then he sighed and made a face.

"Kind of," he admitted. "I don't want to just be his buddy, but I want to be the kind of guy he could bring out with the team. Like Troy takes Gabriella absolutely everywhere. Or hell, like Zeke shows you off at parties."

"You want him to come out and bring you along." Sharpay's voice was sharp.

Ryan frowned. "It's not even about coming out right now," he said. "Because I know how hard that would be, and I don't want to force it. But I want people to not be surprised to see us together. I want to be Chad's boyfriend in private, if that's how it has to be, but his friend in public, too."

Sharpay scooted her chair around the tiny table to sit next to Ryan. She leaned her head on his shoulder, so that her silly hair twists tickled his neck. He slipped his arm around her shoulder and let her take some of his weight. "You know what you asked me? Have you tried telling him that?"

Ryan breathed steadily, in through his nose and out through his mouth, smelling nail polish and green tea shampoo. "What if he doesn't want that?" he asked.

"Then he's not the guy for you." Ryan tensed, and Sharpay elbowed him in the ribs. "I mean it, Ryan. If he doesn't want to be your friend, out where people can see, then he doesn't deserve you."

Ryan sat there with his arm around his sister, wondering what he would do if Chad didn't deserve him.


End file.
